The Ladybird book of Illustration.

I am lucky enough to work in the new development behind Kings cross which is rapidly becoming a buzzing cultural quarter what with the new Saint Martin’s College campus, the Platform Theatre, Kings Place and the Pangolin gallery all nearby.

What is rapidly becoming one of my favourite venues is the House of Illustration.  A small space nestled at the bottom of the Art Fund’s headquarters (which by the way is well worth joining if you like visiting galleries and exhibitions) it hosts exhibition on the theme of illustration.

Presently is an exhibition on Ladybird books, a display that is heady with nostalgia.  The stark artistic choice that people make in illustration, particularly when depicting people, always intrigues me.  Another issue that does this is the concept of how you can shape people’s perception of history and cultural myths by the information you choose to present, particularly in something like the Ladybird books.

Of all the illustrations on display I liked best the naive ancient sexism of the shopping with mother series, a policeman on a bicycle and a nuclear power plant.  These and others provoked the itch of half remembered images in my brain.  It helped that you were able to handle copies of some of the books (and indeed buy theme afterwards in the gift shop). 

Go: it will cause you to look at illustration differently.  It is also cheap and you might even see nonsense such as this as you cross Granary Square.